Blog

24 Jun 2019

The role of phages: A fight against antibiotic resistance in poultry farms in Kenya

Scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) are looking at using phages to kill strains of bacteria that are known to cause disease in poultry farms in Kenya. A collaborative project between the Laval University in Canada, and ILRI, funded through Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the UK government’s Global AMR Innovation Fund managed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), hope to find alternatives to antibiotics by using phages. The lead scientist, a Canadian virologist, Nicholas Svitek says “it will be very critical to identify and use the best phages that will target the correct bacterial population. We are very excited to be working on such a project and grateful for donors and partners to be able to facilitate such research’.

7 Jun 2019

Mitigating AMR risks in Uganda through the #BuildUganda Program

Launched today by Rose Ademun, Commissioner for Animal Health from the Minister of State for Animal Industry in the Uganda Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), #BuildUganda is a research for development collaboration to prevent and tackle animal diseases and zoonoses in Uganda. Led by MAAIF, and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), it mobilizes national and international research and development partners from Uganda, Kenya and Germany. The five-year program is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the CGIAR Research Programs on Livestock and on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH). One of the four components in the #BuildUganda program focuses on the mitigation of antimicrobial resistance in poultry.

26 Apr 2019

A one-health perspective on antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh's aquaculture

Bangladesh is the world’s third largest inland producer of fish and shellfish that contributes to the country’s economic success. In recent years, the aquaculture sector has experienced a high disease burden often associated with an increase in antimicrobial use. In this context, one of the key challenges for Bangladesh Aquaculture is to maintain sustainable production without medicalization. As one of the Fleming Fund listed countries, Bangladesh receives financial support to tackle AMR with a specific focus on surveillance of antimicrobial use, resistant bacteria, and AMR risks.

11 Apr 2019

Antimicrobial Resistance has no boundaries

Dr. Sam Kariuki is the director of research and development at the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) in Nairobi, Kenya and since 2010 has been a partner on the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) projects. In 2009, the global antimicrobial resistance partnerships (GARP)- Kenya was started by the center for disease dynamics, economics and policy (CDDEP) to create a platform for developing actionable policy proposals on antibiotic resistance in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where Dr. Kariuki leads the Kenya program

9 Apr 2019

Overuse and misuse of antibiotics - a problem driven by the world’s poor and rich alike

As reported this week by Andrew Jacobs and Matt Richtel in the New York Times, ‘Kibera residents are prodigious consumers of antibiotics’.

Kibera area, one of Africa’s largest urban slums, is located in Nairobi, Kenya, with a population of around one million. Most people in the slum lack access to running water, electricity and medical care. Diseases caused by poor hygiene are prevalent.

19 Mar 2019

Addressing the challenges of antimicrobial resistance: An interview with Jonathan Wadsworth

Dr Jonathan Wadsworth, a livestock scientist by training, has spent most of his career working to develop and disseminate innovative agricultural technologies in low and middle-income countries through vocational education and training, research, extension and technology transfer. He has designed and implemented agriculture for research development projects across the globe and as Senior Agricultural Research Advisor of DFID was closely engaged with CGIAR funding and reform. As Executive Secretary of the CGIAR Fund Council at the World Bank

13 Mar 2019

Drug resistance could make millions of people poorer

'About 28 million people could fall into extreme poverty by 2050 if high antimicrobial resistance is not addressed. 'Antimicrobial resistance occurs when medicines for controlling infections caused by germs such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites are no longer effective.

12 Mar 2019

AMR Hub Event: Summary

On the 21 and 22 of February 2019, more than 80 people from different national and international research organisations, government institutions, NGOs, and private sector joined the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) for the first partner event of the new Consultative Group of International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Hub.

20 Feb 2019

New research partnership to tackle the global problem of antimicrobial resistance

To tackle a growing problem of rising antimicrobial resistance in low- and middle-income countries, CGIAR, a global research partnership for a food-secure future, is forming an international hub to help integrate and channel research and development efforts.

4 Feb 2019

Workshop in Bangladesh: "Aquaculture and AMR – a One Health challenge"

WorldFish is organising a second two-day high or policy level workshop entitled “Aquaculture and AMR – a one health challenge” will be held in Dhaka city, Bangladesh, February 2019. The workshop aims to disseminate and discuss relevant lessons from these projects and to develop priorities for future work and interventions.

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